Different Destinies
by Purplestripe66
Summary: PRiS: Karone was never kidnapped and became the Yellow Astro Ranger. Andros still suffered many tragedies in his life, but having his sister there kept him from becoming so withdrawn. Early Andros/Ashley, some Karone/Zhane.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers and make no money off of this fic. But, we all already knew that, didn't we?

"Initiating docking procedures," DECA said suddenly.

"What?" Karone asked confused. She'd been staring at the communications panel so hard that DECA's voice had actually made her jump. "Who's docking with us?" she asked, already hurrying to the Computer Systems Consul.

"The Astro Megazord Shuttle."

Karone stopped where she was, looking up at the nearest camera, "What?"

"The Astro Megazord Shuttle is presently docking with the Megaship."

Karone shook her head, trying to figure out exactly what was malfunctioning. "DECA, what is the Astro Megazord Shuttle?" she asked looking at a monitor that was indeed displaying a small shuttle docking with the Megaship.

"The Astro Megazord Shuttle is designed to combine with the Astro Megaship to form the Astro Megazord. Docking procedures complete. Now pressurizing Shuttle Bay 1," DECA added.

Karone considered this for only a second before running off the Bridge and making her way to the Shuttle Bay.

The door opened before she could reach it. "Who are you?" she asked, immediately pointing her Astro Blaster at the four strangers standing there.

* * *

Ashley followed her teammates off of the shuttle. "Where are we?" she asked looking around the huge, empty room. She noticed Alpha stumble behind her and gave him a hand getting off the shuttle.

"Your guess is as good as mine," TJ muttered. "Come on. Let's see if there's anyone on this ship."

They stuck close together as they headed towards the door. Ashley noticed the distinct lack of a door knob and wondered how it opened. She didn't have to wait long for her answer. As soon as TJ got close, it slid upwards, revealing a long corridor. And a girl.

Ashley's eyes widened and she fell back a step at the sight of the weapon. "Who are you?" the girl asked.

The four of them exchanged glances, but it was TJ that spoke, "Is this your ship?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, "I said, 'who are you?'"

"We're Power Rangers," TJ said reluctantly after a moment's hesitation. The girl's expression didn't waver. "Or at least we were. We didn't mean to come here, we were pulled in..." TJ trailed off.

Ashley took the opportunity to get a good look at the girl. She was about their age, shoulder length blonde hair, and she wore what looked like a uniform. Gray pants and a jacket with several insignias on it, and a bright yellow shirt underneath.

"Karone," a male voice came from somewhere. The girl raised her left hand and Ashley noticed she was wearing a black device on her wrist. Something inside her screamed morpher. "I need you on the bridge."

The girl looked at them, apparently debating what to do. She cursed as the ship shook, throwing them against the wall. She took off down the corridor as soon as she regained her balance. "Wait," Ashley called after her. It took them longer to untangle themselves and regain their balance.

* * *

"Andros," Karone said as soon as the bridge doors slid open. "We-" another jolt of the ship cut her off. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack."

Karone rolled her eyes. "I can see that," she told him hurrying to the weapons consul. "By who?"

"I don't know. DECA, full power to the Astro Thrusters."

"Astro Thrusters are disabled."

Karone fired a shot at the enemy ship with no apparent effects, "I'll go."

"No, I need you here," Andros told her. He felt completely useless, navigating with the engines down, but he knew it was enough to keep the ship from crashing into the planet below.

"Andros!" Karone called as the ship jolted from another hit.

He was about to tell her to go when he suddenly felt the thrusters power up. "Thrusters are back online," DECA told them.

"What? But how?" he wondered out loud, pulling back on the controls as far as they would go. He knew that a few more seconds and they wouldn't have been able to escape the planet's gravitational pull. He looked down at the small monitor next to him, seeing four people, apparently just having fixed the engines. "Who are they?" he asked looking at Karone.

He didn't have time to wonder as another laser struck the ship. "DECA, get us out of here. Hyperrush 9," he said as soon as he managed to position the ship to where he knew they could make the jump. Andros stared at the screen intently for a few moments, watching the simulated star field, "DECA, are they following us?"

"Negative. The enemy ship is unable to match our speed."

Andros sighed in relief. Then he turned to Karone. "Who are those people?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you," she said, already on her way to the Megalift. "I have no idea. Their shuttle just suddenly docked with the Megaship."

"What? That shouldn't be possible," Andros said, following her.

"DECA called it the Astro Megazord Shuttle. They claim to be rangers."

As soon as the doors to the Megalift opened, the two rangers, Andros still morphed, hurried to the Engine Room. "Who are you?" Andros asked as soon as he spotted the intruders.

The four teens exchanged looks. Andros took a closer look at them. Their clothes were torn and dirty and their faces didn't look much better. None of them appeared to be seriously injured, but he was sure they had their share of scrapes and bruises. They looked like they had been in a serious battle, and lost. They had a robot with them. He vaguely recognized it as an Alpha model from Eltar. He also looked like he'd seen better days.

"We're Power Rangers, from Earth," the man in red told him. "At least we were, until Divatox destroyed our Power Chamber."

"Divatox," Andros said remembering the vileness barging back on the Cimmarian Planet. It certainly supported their story, "She thinks she destroyed you. What are you doing here?"

"We took a shuttle to go find Zordon. We were on our way to Eltar when we got pulled into this ship."

"Ships power reserves at twenty percent. Unable to maintain Hyperrush velocity," DECA said suddenly.

"All right," Andros said, apparently accepting their explanation. "DECA, drop out of Hyperrush."

"Come on," Karone told the Earth Rangers, following him to the Megalift.

* * *

The ride up seemed to take forever. Although Ashley guessed it was much faster than any elevator she had ever been in even though she could barely feel it moving.

As soon as the doors opened, the Red Ranger and the girl in yellow got to work. "DECA, damage assessment," the Red Ranger told the air.

"Long range scanners are disabled, Mega accelerators damaged, aft lasers disabled, Megadecks 5 and 6 on auxiliary power."

Ashley half listened to the computer as she stepped into the massive room. "Wow," she heard Cassie say barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Where's the nearest planet we can set down on?" the girl in yellow asked.

"There is an uninhabited planet with a breathable atmosphere within range of our engines," the computer told her.

"Set a course. I want to get there as fast as we can. Before whoever that was finds us again," the Red Ranger said.

"Estimated time to arrival: 27 minutes."

"Aljas, blastes forias," Alpha said suddenly. He was doing something with the black box he had retrieved from the ruins of the Command Center.

"What's wrong with him?" the girl in yellow asked.

"We think his speech circuits were damaged in the explosion," Carlos told her.

"I can fix it," the Red Ranger said. "Power Down!" he called, and in a flash of red light, his suit disappeared revealing a man about as old as them with striped hair. He wore the same uniform as the girl, except with a red shirt. "I'm called Andros. This is my sister, Karone."

"Well hey, I'm Cassie. It's really nice to meet you."

"And I'm Ashley," Ashley said quickly stepping forward, smiling at Andros. She felt herself blush slightly as Andros smiled back. A small smile, but it was unmistakable.

"Carlos."

"TJ," TJ stepped forward and extended his hand.

Andros looked mildly surprised, but Karone clasped his hand. Andros did the same a moment later, "You said you were headed for Eltar?"

"Yeah, to find out what happened to Zordon," TJ told him.

"Zordon's been captured. Dark Specter's draining his powers to make himself stronger," Andros explained.

"But if Dark Specter drains all of Zordon's powers then..." Cassie trailed off.

"Then we're all history," TJ finished.

"Zordon's strong," Andros assured them. "It'll take some time to drain his powers. Which gives us some time."

"Andros," Karone said, "what exactly happened on the Cimmarian planet?"

Andros shook his head. "I went there to find out what was going on," he said for the benefit of the four of them. "They discovered who I was before I could learn much. But I think Dark Specter named a successor."

"Whoever was firing at us," Karone guessed.

Andros nodded.

"Abusthasas menign," Alpha told them, holding up the box.

"I think we should get him fixed," Andros said walking over to the robot. "I have tools in the cargo bay."


	2. Powerless

Disclaimer: And all the cleverness I posses went into writing this fic (wow that's sad... It's not that cleaver.. wait, I'm trying to encourage people to read this, um...) so I can't think of any cleaver way to tell you that I don't own the Power Rangers.

Author's Note: Ok, borrowing a little from another fic of mine. If you notice that, I think you're psychic because I don't think that I've posted that anywhere yet... But I could be wrong. If not, don't worry about it. No prior knowledge required.

* * *

"The Astro Megazord shuttle was made to combine with the Astro Megaship! You see, it's all part of Zordon's master plan!" Ashley listened as Alpha finished explaining. "You need to work together!"

They all seemed to consider this for a moment. "Alpha's right," TJ decided first. "We can help each other."

"You don't have any powers," Andros reminded them, needlessly. "You should go back to Earth."

"We can't defend the Earth without our Powers," TJ argued. "Let us come with you. Together we stand a better chance of rescuing Zordon."

Andros and Karone looked at each other for what seemed to be a long while. They almost looked like they were silently debating it. Finally, Andros nodded. "All right," he said turning to the four of them, "come with me. Alpha, you go to the Bridge and work with DECA to figure out how to form that Zord."

"Yes Andros. Oh ai-ai-ai, this is fantastic," Alpha said excitedly, heading in the direction of the Bridge.

Ashley exchanged glances with the other ex-Turbo Rangers. They followed the Red and Yellow Rangers down the long corridor until they stopped at a door. The room was barely big enough for all of them to fit inside at once. In the center was a small table, with three devices that were clearly morphers.

"These are Astro Morphers," Karone told them sliding one of the devices off of its holder. "If you're going to join us, you should have them."

Ashley watched Andros to avoid thinking about the implication of what lay infront of them: three morphers. He stood at the back of the room, looking far more hesitant about this decision than his teammate.

Karone handed one of the morphers to each of Ashley's friends. "I'm sorry," she told Ashley awkwardly.

Ashley did her best not to look as disappointed as she felt. She hadn't come out here expecting new powers. But she hadn't expected her friends to get them either. "I understand," she said, forcing herself to smile.

An awkward silence settled over the room. "We are approaching the planet," DECA said after a minute.

"Right," Andros said, looking very anxious to get out of the room. Ashley couldn't blame him. "I'm going to go check the outer control panels."

"Wait," Karone stopped him, "take Carlos and Cassie with you. You can use some help." Andros hesitated, "I don't want you out there alone, Andros."

Andros sighed, "All right, come on."

Karone smiled at Ashley and TJ, "I could use some help back in the engine room."

"Right," TJ nodded, following her out into the corridor.

"You go ahead. I just need to get something first," Karone told them as she headed in the opposite direction that they had come from.

"Hey, you all right Ash?" TJ asked after a moment, as they headed towards the Engine Room.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ashley said, managing a smile.

"I'm sorry about this, Ashley," he said put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulders. "You know you're still a part of the team."

Ashley shook her head, "What can I do without Powers?"

"Ash..."

"It's ok TJ. I-I don't want to get in the way."

"Ashley, you won't," TJ told her. "Ash..."

Ashley knew that that was easy to say. "Hey, I'm not abandoning you guys," she promised, turning towards him. "Powers or no powers, we're still friends, and I'm still a ranger. If you need me I'll be there. I just know it won't be like it was," she added sadly.

TJ didn't know what to say to that. "Come on," Ashley said giving his arm a tug. "Karone'll be waiting for us."

* * *

Karone wandered aimlessly down the corridor. She wondered if TJ and Ashley had had enough time to talk yet. She couldn't imagine how the other girl was feeling, but she hoped that the former Red Ranger could help her with what she must be going through.

She'd made a full lap around deck six of the Megaship. She stopped in front of the door to the Engine Room, listening for voices. She sighed quietly when she didn't hear any. Hoping they had talked it out, she put on a bright smile, heading into the room.

"Sorry that took so long," Karone told them.

"No problem," TJ said, getting up from his spot next to the engine. "DECA's been telling us what to do here."

"Oh," Karone hid her disappointment. If they had started working already, than she doubted they had had much time to talk. "So, you said you were from Earth," she said reading DECA's engine diagnostic on one of the small monitors against the wall. "Is that far?"

"Well," TJ hesitated, "we don't really know where we are. We passed through some kind of wormhole on the way here..."

"Oh, that's ok. I'm sure DECA know knows where it is."

"Planet Earth is located in quadrant 438.15, in the Sol System."

Karone looked to TJ for confirmation, but he looked like he had no idea, "Thank you DECA. Your planet isn't very advanced at space travel, is it?" she asked him.

"No," TJ shook his head. "The shuttle is the most advanced spacecraft on Earth. And I guess it isn't even from Earth, technically," he added.

Karone smiled, heading over to check the connections on the upper level. She couldn't help noticing how quiet Ashley was being. She doubted that was like her.

They worked in an awkward silence, broken only by the occasional questions TJ asked about what he was doing. Ashley somehow managed to avoid saying anything to her for a good half hour, although she could hear her saying something to TJ from time to time.

"You and Andros seem close," Ashley said suddenly.

That startled Karone for a moment, "Yeah. He's my brother."

"Oh," Karone smiled. Ashley was trying to sound casual, but she could tell what she was thinking.

"I think he likes you actually."

"Really?" Ashley asked, suddenly a lot less interested in the consoul she had been pretending to be preoccupied with.

"Mh-hm," Karone nodded. She watched Ashley out of the corner of her eye for a while. She just hoped Andros didn't do anything to push her away. It was about time her brother got a girlfriend.

She sighed quietly, thinking about how overprotective Andros always was when it came to her and Zhane. He had actually interrogated Zhane whenever they went out. The two of them had spent a month trying to get Andros in a relationship, hoping that would get him to lighten up on them a bit.

Karone looked over at the hidden door to the healing chamber. She couldn't help wondering when she would see him again. If she would ever see him again.

"Hey, Karone?" TJ asked.

"Yeah?" she shook her head, not letting herself think about that now.

"Where does this go?" TJ asked holding up a green card.

"Um," she stood up, walking over to the open panel TJ was working on. She definitely couldn't afford to be distracted if the ship was this badly damaged.

* * *

"That's the best we can do for now," Andros told them finishing the reboot sequences. "All of our scanners are down, but we still have navigation. We'll need supplies to finish the rest of the repairs."

"We can get them on Earth," Cassie suggested. "They'll help us at NASADA."

Andros looked around the room for a moment before nodding. "All right. DECA, set a course," Andros hesitated for just a second, "for Earth."

Karone smiled at him as the Earth rangers let out a cheer.

* * *

The Megaship jolted suddenly and Karone fell forward onto her consoul. "DECA, shields to full, visual sensors," Andros said almost immediately. A ship suddenly appeared on the main view screen. "Karone..."

"Right," she said, not waiting for him to finish. She powered the weapons while trying to scan for a weak spot. She didn't have much luck. Most of her weapons bounced right off the shielding.

The enemy fire, however, seemed to be doing serious damage. "Shields at 60 percent," DECA said, confirming her fears.

The view screen flickered suddenly, filling with static for a moment before an ugly red and black creature took its place.

"Hello Rangers," the creature snarled.

Karone gasped. She was vaguely aware of the Earth rangers watching her, of her brother saying her name, but the only thing she could focus on was the monster on the screen in front of her.

He was someone she would never forget. Someone she thought she would never have to see again. Those yellow glowing eyes still haunted her dreams. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to sit through the monster's threats, not listening to a word he said.

The second the screen went blank again, she jumped out of her chair and bolted out of the room. She could hear her brother calling after her from somewhere far away, but all she could do was run. The ship jolted again, throwing her against the wall. She sank down to the ground, trying to catch her breath.

She knew she should be on the bridge right now, but she just couldn't. She couldn't even think about it right now. Karone hugged her knees to her chest and put her head down.

"Karone?" Andros' voice asked a few minutes later.

Karone looked up, slowly. He was crouched down next the her. "The--the attack?"

"It's ok. We took care of it. Are you ok?" Karone swallowed hard. Looking past her brother, she saw that the other Earth rangers were there too.

She shook her head. She tried to tell them that she was ok. "It's him," she said instead.

"Who?" TJ asked, concern evident in his voice.

Karone looked up at Andros, but he looked just as confused as the others. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, "I'm ok. Andros, that was- that was the monster who tried to kidnap me."

"What? Are you sure?" Andros asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

Karone nodded, "I'll never forget his face." She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.

"Wait, what?" TJ asked after a moment. "That monster tried to kidnap you?"

Karone felt Andros glare at him, it almost made her smile. She nodded, "When I was little." She opened her eyes to see the Earth Rangers watching her, "Andros and I were playing in the park, when a monster--that monster," she corrected, "grabbed me. I don't know what would have happened if the Yori Rangers hadn't been on KO-35 at the time."

"Are you going to be ok?" Andros asked quietly.

Karone nodded, "We--we should get going to Earth. We need to get the Megaship repaired before we get attacked again.


End file.
